York & Carolina
by Elegant Dynamite
Summary: A short story branched off of red vs blue during the final freelancer years


_(((I got a review pointing out the lack of formatting, i'm so sorry i uploaded it on my phone! I'll try not to have it happen again, thanks! -ed)))_

It was just like any other mission, the team was dropped off onto another ship. Wyoming watching their back, North and South splitting up from the rest. The objective was to take control of the massive vessel. It was high risk, and a map of the ship was shown to them beforehand, pointing out all the escape pods. This was a rare thing to do. Nevertheless, they followed their orders. That's what they did. That's what they always do.

With the sibling pair off to the side, York and Carolina moved on ahead. They stop at a door for him to unlock it. They get through and North and South both come in with them. That's when the real fighting begins. Wyoming on their tales, North and South get the sides of the room while Wash trails in the middle. Carolina and York make a run for the next room, she leading of course. More fighting, more guns, more kick ass moves, everything is like a normal mission. Until things get a bit out of hand that is. Soldiers of all kind storm at them. They're pinned.

"Carolina, " he says having to turn her around. "We need to get out of here, now!" She shoves him off,

"There's no way! We can't be far now. I just need a bit more time-" A large blast from a more powerful weapon goes off and slams into the wall that separates them from the enemy. Everyone else is further back, so in much less danger.

"We don't have a bit more time! Carolina! " She ignores him and goes on out, faster than the eye can keep up she locks into hand on hand combat and exceeds her enemies greatly. After rushing though multiple hall ways and rooms of this, York tells her to slow down " you need to take a second."

"For what?" She's slightly out of breath and he can practically hear her smiling through her helmet

"I'm not sure. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You're just tired of keeping up with me." A bullet whizzes past her and she spins around, knocking the random leftover guard on his back. She then kicks him in the side of his head knocking him out. All of this in one quick motion. "See? I've got it under control" she smiles and looks back at York. He looks at her in a 'what can you do' manor and they continue on. More hallways, more rooms. Before they know it, they're separated from the others, and completely cornered this time, with long multiple long range weapons firing at them.

"Damn" She mutters as she reloads her pistol with one of the few remaining rounds.

"I'm low on ammo," he says through breaks in shootings with his assault rifle. "How are you?"

"Shit!" She says as she throws a grenade and keeps firing. "Me too, i'll call for back up-" "So what, they can get trapped too? We need to call it quits."

"No way, we're getting there. We can't."

"We have to!" She stops firing and thinks for a moment, then shortly after, continues.

"We can't afford another failure. "

"I'll take failure over death any day." He presses something on his helmet, "this is agent York, me and Carolina are in more than a tight spot. And from my readings it looks like so are all of you. I think we need to abort mission and call in a failure, over. "

"This is North, me and South agree, over."

"Agent Wyoming here, I have to say that may be, the wisest decision." The sound of gun shots and Washington screaming in the distance, "and it looks like Agent Washington is also in favor, over."

There's a pause, then Carolina comes on "We're not retreating. We're already here and this is supposed to be an easy job for us. So suck it up and push ahead. Over and out." She clicks off and starts shooting again. "Remember this is my team, York." He sighs.

"I know but-"

"but what?" She's focused and calm. That's when stray bullets start to get past her. "York, step up your game, I need some help-" she glances back at him. Her expression shatters and she feels like a dagger went through her. York is laying on the ground with blood starting to visibly pool around his head. She sprints over to him and rips off his helmet. He was shot in the neck, and unlike agent Maine who got lucky, York was bleeding so much it was clear the shot hit a main artery. Still doing well besides from the waterfall of blood, York reaches for her helmet as shes leaning over him, and presses a button on it.

"This is agent York," as he says that, more enemies can be heard from just around the corner, more gun shots and things. His voice dry and forced, he keeps going anyways. "The situation has become dire, search for an escape pod, repeat, search for an- esc-ahp-... " he lets go and starts coughing. Carolina hesitates, then presses it,

"confirmed, over and out" then removes her helmet to find where to hold her hand better, and maybe patch him up. Instead she just gets her hand covered in blood. "You're going to make it, now the nearest escape pod is just around the corner, if I carry you, I should still be fast enough-" York quiets her

"You need to get out of here..." he breaths carefully and is smiling at her. She gets slightly flustered and irritated by that.

"You're going to live, so why would I leave you? Agent York I'm ordering you to keep fighting." She stays relatively emotionless and talks like the leader she is. He chuckles at that and replaces her hand with his to help stop the bleeding. With a bit of help from her, he manages to stand up.

"Hey Carolina... what would be a nice distraction for you..?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, there's no way you can drag me to that shuttle," He takes a moment, "you'll probably just end up getting yourself killed for me to die anyways."

"Agent what are you trying to suggest? i intend to keep us both alive." She's stoned face. Not a single trace of a tear in her eye, like a model soldier. He chuckles and has to lean on her a bit.

"You know, I've always liked red heads" he smiles wide at her, she looks at him confused and before she can do anything, he grabs her into a kiss. He doesn't show much hesitation and smiles into it like 'at long last'. She does nothing, no pulling in, no pulling away, she's in complete shock.

York, after enjoying his choice for a distraction, yanks her with him as they make for the door. Shots are sent into his back, the armor only protecting about half of them. He's able to shove her in the escape pod and shield the bullets until the door closes, doing this so quickly she doesn't recover until it's too late. She slams on the large glass window watching York collapse to the floor. He smiles at her and waves. He looks so normal for a moment, she thinks, then blood splatters, he coughs it up and he hits the eject button before she can see anymore. She screams his name, louder and louder as she's shot into space. The last thing she saw of him was his smile, then the window went red.

_You know, I've always liked red heads._ That stupid sentence will always be there. She considered dying her hair because of it. That idiot. That idiot that idiot that idiot that stupid fucking idiot how dare he. He would've made it. They always make it. He would've-

She pushed back the tears. That was the first time, she thought. The first time she cried in front of anybody. She didn't even realize she was crying, until she was too far away._ As soon as i hit the seat_, she thought, _as soon he closed that door was when-_ That idiot. That idiot that idiot that- she couldn't do it. She bursts into tears again. She was alone in her quarters, so she wept, she sobbed, she bawled her eyes out. He was gone. That stupid fucking idiot died on a stupid fucking mission for stupid fucking her. Then again, He probably saved all of their lives.

Wash stood at the door about to knock. He's never really felt the effect of the war like this. He was having a hard time so he thought Carolina would be... well not this bad. He decides to quietly back away, keeping to himself.

She hears him and doesn't care. She doesn't care about much anymore. ...

And so life went on. After project Freelancer ended, so did most of the others. They all survived a bit longer, turns out Wash and Carolina are still around. The others presumed, or found dead. Wash never said a word, and ended up following in York's footsteps for a few friends. Carolina, well, thanks to some more stupid idiots, she's starting to care again, what happens to her, to them, whatever.

"Hey church... would my hair look better brown? ... or maybe even green or blue..."

"What the hell are you talking about?"


End file.
